Sestito, Flyers power past Lightning

PHILADELPHIA - This is the way the Flyers were supposed to win this season. The gritty way, success by virtue of stinginess.

Tom Sestito scoring twice was never part of the script, but hey, there’s always room for comedic effect.

Employing the kind of serious forechecking tenacity that should be their trademark rather than an occasional hobby, the Flyers snuffed the NHL’s best scoring team Tuesday night, winning a 2-1 game over the Tampa Bay Lightning that on paper simply didn’t compute.

Against a Tampa team averaging nearly five goals per game, the Flyers and Ilya Bryzgalov played their best shut-down game of the season. Against a Lightning crew that bombed the Flyers by four goals nine nights prior, the Flyers employed a premier checking game. Tampa’s lowest shots total of the season previously was 25. On this night, Bryzgalov had to make several big stops, but only 21 saves total.

“That was a really hard-fought game from start to finish,” Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. “There wasn’t a lot of room out there for either team, in either zone.”

The only time people gave room was to watch Zac Rinaldo fight B.J. Crombeen, targeted as the guy that was trying to target Claude Giroux when the teams last met in Tampa Jan. 27.

This time, Rinaldo knocked Crombeen clear out of the game. When he left, he looked anything but clear.

Naturally, for the Flyers, that was a good thing.

“It was like a huge bolt of energy that came through the building,” Laviolette said. “For the fans, for the players, the coaches, everybody. One of those things that really picked up the building.”

The fight may have added juice, but the Flyers, perhaps still stewing over the 5-1 loss the Lightning had pinned on them in Tampa, were already motivated.

“I thought it was a very gritty win,” Danny Briere said. “I don’t know how it looked, but it was one of those games where I thought they were getting away with a lot of interference and stuff like that. We had to fight through it ... but it was a good gritty win and fun to see other guys chipping in.”

That would include Sestito, who matched his career goal total (2 in 35 previous NHL games). The Flyers’ young enforcer, ticketed for the Phantoms after overcoming a case of the mumps just prior to the week-long training camp earlier this month, twice got the puck in prime scoring position ... and twice knew what to do with it.

“We talk about scoring like being a sniper,” Bryzgalov said. “And (Sesito) said, if (he) became a sniper, he would change his name for the Russian last name from Sestito to Sestitov.”

Oh-kay.Apparently, Lightning goalie Anders Lindback, who otherwise played well, had trouble figuring out Sestito’s sole scoring move: deke, go to the backhand and shovel for all he’s worth.

“Yeah, I’ve got one (move),” Sestito said. “Hopefully, no goalies catch on to that. If it works once, then I’m going to keep doing it until it stops working.”

Both times, the puck went flipping between Lindback’s legs. The first time came 4:25 into the second period, giving the Flyers a 1-0 lead while the Lighting - who entered having scored 39 times in eight games - were still trying to figure out how to break through the Flyers’ defenses.

On the rare occasions they did, Bryzgalov was his usual reliable self. Yes, that is what he’s been this season.

Bryzgalov was flashy in stopping elite goal scorer Steve Stamkos, who had a one timer from point-blank range but couldn’t beat the sideways sliding Bryz. He also made a terrific save on rookie Cory Conacher, whose rebound looked as if it had a tying goal written on it ... then didn’t.

The Lightning (6-3) did finally tie it up, courtesy of a Flyers defensive breakdown which allowed Tampa’s Benoit Pouliot to score from all alone in front of the crease at 9:30 of the third period.

But what had been a period-long offensive push by the Lightning suddenly seemed to wane. It was then that the Flyers kicked into what appeared to be a harmless 3-on-2 with their fourth line.

Max Talbot threw a backhand pass that Ruslan Fedotenko tipped over to the wide-open (and why not?) Sestito. Once again, he deked to the backhand, Lindback froze ... and with 8:44 left in regulation the Flyers led again.

Perhaps most memorable about their performance was the penalty they killed after that goal. Mike Knuble went off for a slash, the Lightning held the puck in the zone for almost the whole time, and Tampa wound up not getting a shot through on Bryzgalov.

The Flyers responded in similar fashion just thereafter, when Lindback was pulled from his net for an extra skater.

That Lightning advantage went to a two-man with 13.6 seconds left, as Braydon Coburn went off for holding the stick. It didn’t matter.

“Bryz was solid again tonight,” Briere said. “He looks comfortable. He looks in control. You know nothing fazes him at this point. It’s good to see. I said this morning that if he keeps playing the same way, we are going to be a dangerous team.”